Omar Minaya joined the Padres in December 2011 as senior vice president, baseball operations, bringing with him more than 25 years of experience in Major League Baseball. He previously served six seasons (2005-10) as executive vice president of baseball operations/general manager of the New York Mets.

Minaya began his front office career with the Texas Rangers in 1985 as an amateur scout in the Dominican Republic. In subsequent years with the Rangers organization, he served as Latin American scouting coordinator and director of professional and international scouting. In 1997, he moved on to the New York Mets, serving in the roles of assistant general manager and senior assistant general manager.

In February 2002, Minaya became MLB's first Hispanic general manager, for the Montreal Expos. During the three seasons he held that role, Minaya guided the Expos to their first back-to-back winning seasons since 1992-94.

As a player, Minaya was originally selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 14th round of the 1978 First-Year Player Draft. He played in both the A's and Seattle Mariners organizations, before playing professionally for two years in Italy (1983-84).

He has received numerous distinctions outside of baseball throughout his career. He was honored by President George W. Bush at a White House dinner in October 2003, as part of Hispanic Heritage Month, and in January 2008, he was appointed to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

Born in the Dominican Republic, Minaya grew up in Queens, NY. He and his wife, Rachel, have two sons. He currently sits on the board of Voices Against Brain Cancer and Esperanza International.